A general block circuit diagram of a radio access network as a part of a radio telecommunication network is shown in FIG. 1.
As is illustrated therein, a terminal device or mobile station MS denoted by reference numeral 3 communicates via an air interface (radio interface) with a radio transceiver device or base station BS denoted by reference numeral 2. It is to be noted that for purposes of a simplified explanation, only one mobile station MS and base station BS, respectively, are shown in FIG. 1, while in practice plural base stations BS constitute a network and each is adapted to communicate with a plurality of mobile stations.
Each of respective base stations BS 2 is controlled by and communicates with a radio network control device or radio network controller RNC denoted by reference numeral 1. Communication between a respective base station BS 2 and the radio network controller RNC 1 takes place via a so-called Iub interface. Via this Iub interface, traffic data or use data respectively, as well as control data are exchanged between the base station BS 2 and the radio network controller RNC 1.
Such networks are meanwhile capable of transmitting data in units of packets (e.g. according to an asynchronous transmission mode ATM). Among the data to be transmitted it can be distinguished between two types of traffic. Firstly, in such a network there exists so-called real time (RT) traffic which is for example due to ongoing phone calls, so that real-time data packets are to be transmitted. Secondly, in such a network there exists so-called non-real time (NRT) traffic which is for example due to files or other data entities to be transmitted, so that non-real time data packets are to be transmitted at scheduled points of time.
Scheduling and/or admitting respective traffic components to be transmitted via the network is handled by an admission control means denoted by 1A as a part of the radio network controller RNC 1. The admission control means 1A is adapted to handle both, real time traffic as well as non-real time traffic.
Hitherto known systems adopt a transmission principle known as code divisional multiple access CDMA or wideband CDMA (WCDMA), according to which physical channels (frequencies) are accessed using different codes. Each used code then represents one channel. A so-called bearer is then defined by a frequency and a used code, for example.
Thus, for transmitting packet data in real time and in non-real time, the entire available physical resources at a base station BS 2 were beforehand divided (partitioned) in real time channels reserved and/or designated for real time traffic and in non-real time channels reserved for non-real time traffic.
Then, in case of data packets to be transmitted in either real time or non-real time, respective channel activation and/or deactivation procedures had to be performed. Such procedures are, however, time consuming which causes a drawback for the data packet allocation functionality in CDMA and/or WCDMA systems, since they had for example to rely on slow common control channels on the Iub interface.
Moreover, due to the beforehand division of channels into real time and non-real time channels, physical resources often remained unused which limited the maximum possible traffic amount handled by the network.